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Coles commits to crush waste and reduce landfill

Coles crushes food waste, reduces landfill and plastic wrap. Food waste to be halved and all coles packaging to be recyclable.

June 2018

Coles has today pledged to halve food waste across its supermarkets by 2020, make all packaging of Coles Brand products recyclable by 2020 and reduce plastic wrapping on fruit and vegetables.

The unprecedented announcement of 10 Coles Commitments on Packaging and Recycling comes as the retailer prepares its customers for the phasing out of single-use plastic bags on July 1.

Significantly, Coles also pledges to divert 90 per cent of all supermarket waste (including food, cardboard and plastic) from landfill by 2022 and donate the equivalent of 100 million meals to people in need by 2020 by redistributing surplus food.

Coles Managing Director John Durkan said Coles wanted to lead the way in its commitment to the environment.

“We know that 69 per cent of customers say that we need to actively reduce waste and landfill through recyclable packaging and find alternative uses for waste,” he said.

“We are delighted to be the only Australian supermarket to sell own brand water bottles that are both 100 per cent recyclable and 100 per cent made from recycled materials. Now we are the first major food retailer in Australia to announce a target to make all of our own brand packaging recyclable by 2020, ahead of the Federal Government’s target of 2025.”

“By the end of this year we will also connect every Coles store to the vital food rescue program, SecondBite, meaning surplus edible food from every Coles supermarket will be redistributed to people in need. By connecting an additional 130 supermarkets to SecondBite this year, we will also be further diverting food waste from landfill.”

“By 2020, we want to provide the equivalent of 100 million meals to Australians in need. Since 2011, we’ve donated around 72 million meals to SecondBite and Foodbank so we’ve still got 28 million meals to go.”

Coles has also pledged to label all Coles Brand products with recycling information to help customers know how and where to dispose of their waste.

Coles’ key commitments to recycling and packaging also include:

A program to reduce plastic wrapping of fruit and vegetables through new initiatives such as removing double plastic packaging for fruit, selling bunched vegetables like kale and silver beet without plastic, and removing plastic packaging from Coles Brand bananas.

Replacing packaging for a wide range of meat and poultry products with packaging made from recycled and renewable materials.

Replacing existing single use fresh produce bags with bags which have 30% recycled content.

Providing customers with an option to recycle all their soft plastics at every Coles supermarkets across Australia, to then be converted into a range of products including outdoor furniture and road base.

Providing an additional one million reusable crates for fresh produce in our Coles supply chain in 2019 to replace single-use cardboard and polystyrene boxes, adding to the 6 million reusable plates currently being used.

Coles and the environment

Achievements to date

Since 2011, we’ve donated the equivalent of around 72 million meals to SecondBite and Foodbank.

Since September 2014, all Coles Brand water bottles made from 100% recycled PET (rPET).

Only Australian supermarket to have its own crate recycling program in Australia with more than 6 million reusable crates in circulation.

Commitment to remove single use plastic shopping bags across all Coles businesses by 1 July 2018.

In 2011, Coles was the first Australian supermarket to provide a soft plastic recycling program to customers across Australia through REDcycle.

First Australian supermarket to provide soft plastic recycling in every store.

More than $12 million in grants or interest-free loans to 27 different producers as part of the $50 million Nurture Fund

Commitments for the future

Divert 90 per cent of supermarket waste (including food, cardboard and plastic) from landfill by 2022.

Halve food waste in Coles supermarkets by 2020

Donate unsold edible food from every Coles supermarket in Australia

Provide the equivalent of 100 million meals to Australians in need by donating unsold, edible food